20 Best Tried and True Japanese Chu-hi Drinks in 2023 (Sommelier-Reviewed)

Sapporo's Lemon the Rich Tokusei Lemon is a chu-hi that uses 3% lemon juice extracted using Sapporo's unique extraction method. The alcohol content is also at 5%, making it easy to enjoy meals with.

This chu-hi has a sweet and fruity flavor with the fragrance of lemons marinated in liqueur. It's great both with snacks and by itself, making it a drink that can be enjoyed by anyone at any time.

The sweetness, bitterness, juiciness, and freshness were all well-balanced. However, if you want to enjoy more of a specific aspect, such as bitterness, then this might be somewhat lacking for you. However, since it's so balanced, it makes for a good choice for most.

This drink uses 5% fruit juice from Japanese pickled umeboshi plums to create a unique drink with hints of saltiness to it, which helps highlight the sweetness and flavor of the plum.

It matches Japanese food well, but can also be enjoyed with pretty much most snacks or dishes. Its overall flavor profile was relatively balanced, but it does have a prominent plum flavor, so this might not be for everyone.

Since the plum flavor was quite rich, you might not be able to keep knocking back this drink can after can, if that's what you're into. This chu-hi is best enjoyed with a good meal to fully draw out its flavors.

Asahi's Gyokuro and Matcha Chu-hi uses Japanese matcha, sencha, and gyokuro green tea leaves for this matcha-flavored chu-hi. Its gentle matcha flavors makes it the perfect drink to enjoy with a meal.

It has a moderate amount of alcohol, and the bitterness and fragrance of the green tea was popular among our testers. Since it has a rounded flavor profile, our testers were able to keep drinking this chu-hi. It's also non-carbonated, so it was lacking in freshness in comparison to other chu-hi. Since it also has no sugar, its sweetness is kept to a minimum.

This is a chu-hi that you won't get tired of even if you drink it daily, and it pairs with various dishes well, so unless you're not a fan of green tea or matcha, you'll most likely find this chu-hi to be delicious. It's a versatile drink that can be paired with food but can also be enjoyed by itself.

Kirin's Hon-Shibori Grapefruit is a grapefruit sour made exclusively from fruit juice and alcohol. It uses a blend of liqueur and vodka for its base and features 28% fruit juice.

Our testers were thrilled that this chu-hi tasted authentically like grapefruit, with minimal sweetness and pronounced bitterness and sourness, just like the real fruit. If you don't like grapefruit, then this may not be for you. Our testers also commented that this chu-hi had a refined flavor that reminded them of cocktails served at a proper bar.

Since the flavor is pretty rich, we recommend pouring it into a glass and sipping on it slowly, as opposed to knocking this back. Not only does it make for a great drink to pair with a meal, but we also think it can be a good alternative to a dessert!

Kirin's Hyoketsu Sicilian Lemon is the most basic product from Kirin's Hyoketsu line of chu-hi. As the name implies, the product primarily uses Sicilian lemon juice, which is then frozen. The base is made from a blend of liqueur and vodka.

Compared to other lemon-flavored products, it's definitely on the sweeter side, but has an average bitterness and freshness, as its reputation as the industry standard lemon chu-hi would suggest. Still, that means that this chu-hi is great to drink for anyone at any time.

Compared to higher ranking products, it's not as well-balanced in terms of flavor and does lack depth, but it's a safe choice, and a great product to dip your feet into the world of chu-hi.

Asahi's Zeitaku Shibori Grapefruit is a grapefruit sour that uses tons of fruit juice, with a whopping 41% in this particular chu-hi. The base is a blend of liqueur and vodka.

Compared to your average grapefruit flavor chu-hi, this product features the strong sweetness of pink grapefruit, with less bitterness and sourness. This sweetness helps conceal the inherent bitterness found in alcohol, making it taste pretty much like grapefruit juice.

Since it's not very strong in terms of alcohol content, this is best for those who aren't big drinkers. If you're one to down a few, this might not be satisfying enough. This is a great product for those who want a fruity drink that's goes down easily.

Aseed Astar's Sicilian Lemon Chu-Hi uses a blend of multiple types of juices sourced from organically grown lemons. The juices are neither concentrated nor processed to draw out the natural flavor of the ingredients.

This product balances bitterness with sweetness, yet still manages to highlight its lemony flavors. While it's sweeter than other products, it has a refreshing aftertaste that won't get in the way of your meal. Since it also doesn't taste too boozy, it's best for beginners as well as those who like sweet drinks. 

Suntory's Horoyoi White Sour is a chu-hi flavored with Calpico (known as Calpis in Japan), made with a blend of spirits and liqueurs.

The milky sweetness of this chu-hi and its low alcohol content of 3% makes the bitterness in alcohol almost undetectable. Since it's so sweet, we recommend either enjoying it by itself or with some snacks, rather than with a proper meal.

Since it's made with milk-based products, it does have 9.55 grams of sugar, so if you're trying to minimize your sugar intake, be warned.

Suntory's Akadama Punch is a wine sour with 6% alcohol content made from sweetened fruit wine. This chu-hi is characterized by its sweetness that is reminiscent of port wine and sangria.

While this carbonated drink does have the flavor and fragrance of grapes as well as concentrated grape juice, it also has hints of lemon, making for a refreshing taste.

Pairing-wise, since the refreshing and sweet wine flavor doesn't get in the way of your food, we think it's best paired with fried foods or braised dishes.

If you want extra fresh flavors, we recommend pouring this chu-hi into a glass and serving it with a lemon wedge for an easy cocktail. If you like wine, this is a chu-hi for you.

Suntory's Horoyoi Momo is the flagship of Suntory's Horoyoi lineup of products. In addition to using a blend of spirits and liqueurs, it also uses peach-based liquor.

While it only has 1% fruit juice, our testers liked how they could still enjoy the gentle peach fragrance and flavors. They also could hardly taste any of the alcohol and were satisfied with the sweetness and peachy flavor.

On the other hand, if you're a big drinker, you might not be satisfied with this product. Still, it's not overly sweet, and some might even enjoy pairing this with meals or might enjoy this as a nightcap, making it a versatile drink. This is a chu-hi that's best for those who aren't huge fans of alcohol.

Asahi's Mogitate Strong Marugoto Shibori Grapefruit is a strong chu-hi, meaning it has a relatively higher alcohol content. This product uses no artificial sweeteners and only uses freshly squeezed grapefruit juice.

Our testers raved about how the rich grapefruit flavor had filled their mouths and that it had a mellow mouthfeel. While it has an alcohol content of 9%, it didn't taste incredibly boozy. Instead, it had a fresh fruity flavor. If you're not a fan of grapefruit, this isn't the best choice for you.

It was delicious enjoyed alone, but it also has a refreshing flavor that we think will pair well with meals or snacks. It's very similar to the kind of chu-hi that you'd get served at a Japanese izakaya, making it a great product for many.

Sapporo's Ai no Skal White Sour is based on Sapporo's non-alcoholic milky carbonated beverage, Ai no Skal.

This chu-hi had the most refreshing taste among all the milky chu-hi we tested. While it's pretty sweet, it has a hint of acidity, giving it a refreshing flavor that doesn't linger in the mouth. While it's not the best drink to pair with food, it's delicious on its own.

This chu-hi would be great to add sweet fruit or syrups to. If you're a fan of sweet drinks or not a big drinker, this should be a drink that you could probably enjoy.

Sapporo's Koime no Lemon Sour uses a blend of squeezed hand-picked Sicilian lemons and lemon-infused liquor.

This product is particularly strong, but has barely any bitterness, making it easy and refreshing to drink. It also isn't sickly sweet, so you can really knock these back, and its boozy aftertaste is sure to satisfy big drinkers.

While it doesn't have a strong lemon fragrance, its prominent sourness makes it an ideal palate cleanser and is a great match with fried food or other heavier dishes. If you're a person who seeks sweetness or richness, it might be a bit lacking, but if you're fond of sour drinks, this will definitely be a great choice!

Asahi's Zeitaku Shibori Kiwi has 13% fruit juice and is made with a blend of liqueur and vodka as its base.

While it has a sweet fragrance and taste, it was slightly lacking in the juiciness of the kiwi. Since it was so sweet and sour, our testers could hardly taste any bitterness from the alcohol.

On the other hand, it's incredibly rich, so it'll be great to drink slowly by itself, but this probably isn't a chu-hi to gulp down. This is a great drink for those who have a sweet tooth, or who don't like the bitterness found in alcoholic drinks.

Kirin Tokusei The Strong Lemon Sour is a lemon sour with 2% fruit juice and 9% alcohol, making it a "strong" product. Its base is made from a blend of spirits, vodka, and liqueur, with the addition of various fruit extracts made by simmering them for over 12 hours.

This chu-hi balances its complex lemon flavors and sweetness with the bitterness of alcohol and lemons, making it easy to drink.

However, being a fairly boozy chu-hi, it's a bit on the heavier side, and not something that would generally be described as refreshing. This drink can be enjoyed alone or with food and has no obvious flaws.

Sapporo's Kireito Lemon Sour features 3000mg of citric acid and 350mg of vitamin c, as well as 20% fruit juice, making it a chu-hi that you can really taste the lemon.

Compared to other lemon-based chu-hi, this one was particularly sour thanks to its high amount of citric acid. While it does have a somewhat artificial-tasting sweetness to it, there's a bitterness that is highlighted by the drink's sourness.

While this doesn't have that much of an alcoholic bitterness to it, it's a great beverage if you're a fan of sour drinks. We think it's best enjoyed with greasy dishes to help cleanse your palate.

Kirin's Hon-Shibori Orange features an outstanding 45% fruit juice, meaning that nearly half of this drink is orange juice! The base alcohol is a blend of liqueur and vodka.

While this does have a prominent orange sourness and bitterness to it, it doesn't taste boozy at all, especially compared to other products in Kirin's Hon-Shibori lineup, making it a great product for those who don't like the taste of alcohol or those who aren't big drinkers.

Suntory's -196℃ Strong Zero Double Lemon, often shortened to just "Strong Zero," is a lemon sour that packs a punch with 9% alcohol content. It also uses lemon-infused vodka as well as lemon juice to further enhance its lemon flavors.

While it does have 9% alcohol content, the sweetener in this drink helps mask its booziness. While our testers felt like this chu-hi didn't have as rich of a lemon flavor as they'd expected, they noted it was generally a versatile drink, and something they would enjoy in various situations.

Some might feel that it's a bit too strong in terms of alcohol, so it might be better to pour it in a glass with ice if that's the case.

Takara's Gokujo Lemon Sour Maruoroshi Lemon uses wholly-crushed lemons and a liqueur base. This product also uses no artificial sweeteners.

Compared to other chu-h-, this product was more fragrant and flavorful, with a strong lemon flavor that canceled out any hints of booziness, making it the perfect match for dishes that you might squeeze a lemon on. This product is great both alone or with food, and would make for a great nightcap.

Suntory's Kodawari Sakaba no Lemon Sour is made using steeped lemons. For its base, Suntory has employed a unique ratio of spirits to further draw out this chu-hi's lemon flavors.

While it doesn't particularly taste strongly of alcohol, it packs a punch and is sure to satisfy most drinkers. Its sweetness is suppressed while having a decent amount of bitterness and freshness.

That being said, while it has a decently balanced fragrance, it does lack a bit in flavor. However, it's pretty similar to an authentic izakaya lemon sour, and it's suited for those who want to drink a lot.